Page 7

King

We landed in the southern part of Indiana, where a large settlement of people had banded together and made their home after the hellhound invasion. The outpost founders had been smart and chosen an area with a long planting season and several lakes in the area that provided enough water.

This was where Beck first encountered Missy and Ruth. Or, more accurately, where Missy had shot him from the sky. That connection had given us critical intel about the Federation. We now knew they had been using “join or die” tactics for years to commandeer soldiers throughout the country. Now they had added exploiting hellhounds for their own agenda, whatever that agenda might be. Maybe the destruction of the world was their goal, and things were going exactly as they planned. Before the hellhound invasion, the U.S. government had been in the worst turmoil the nation had seen since the Civil War. That corrupt system led to the one we faced now.

I stepped out of the plane into weather that was about twenty degrees cooler than the island. Several Shadow Warriors who had stayed at the outpost to guard the villages were waiting for us. I clasped arms with those in charge, exchanging brief words of greeting. Marinah’s voice rang out, and I turned just in time to see her running toward her human friend, Landan.

She caught herself before slamming into his chest, realizing mid-stride that he was staring at me with the kind of fear that only came from knowing I might kill him in the next twenty seconds. Marinah froze, understanding the danger she was putting him in, and halted her momentum.

Kill. Beast growled within me, but I ignored him. I drew a deep breath, letting the simmering aggression of K-5 fade. We didn’t have time for it right now, and Landan was one of the good guys.

Marinah turned away, and they both walked toward me, still a little too close for my beast’s comfort, but I held him in check. Extending my hand, I said, “Thanks for meeting us.” My tone was stiff, but I didn’t care. Landan took my hand, and I added, “We’re dropping off Warriors who will disperse to different outposts while my personal team searches for the Federation soldiers who did this.”

Landan visibly relaxed. “Thank you, and good to hear. We have information that might help with your search. Half of your Warriors are patrolling on the outer perimeter of the outposts, combing the surrounding areas for Federation soldiers and hellhounds. If you can spare about twenty minutes, we can catch you up on what we’ve learned.”

I glanced at the activity around us and noticed a small lean-to with a picnic table beside the runway. The locals had built the runway ten miles from their outpost. Without a word, I abruptly turned and strode toward the table.

“Hey, Neanderthal,” Marinah called out behind me.

I glanced over my shoulder, and she lifted her hands in mock surrender. “Would you like us to follow?” she asked.

I pivoted, took a large stride backward, and grabbed her hand, dragging her along with me. The sleep had done her good because she laughed. “Come on, Landan. His majesty is requesting an audience.”

I shot her an annoyed glance, which only made her laugh again. Seeing Landan had obviously put her in a good mood. I fought off a shot of K-5 and forced Beast to behave.

“Hold it back, baby,” she whispered.

“Stop pushing my buttons,” I growled in mild annoyance.

She couldn’t have cared less. Before Marinah had a chance to respond, I saw Beck and Missy walking in our direction. Another man I didn’t recognize was beside them.

When they reached us, Missy stopped beside me and made introductions. “This is Garret, our governor. He wanted to speak with you.”

Missy’s eyes flicked to Beck and caught his pointed stare. She moved away from me immediately, trying to avoid provoking him. She’d had a hard time with Beck’s mating rage. As a human, it didn’t affect her, and that fact drove Beck crazy. I hid a grin. Missy had definitely made things interesting for one of my most contrary Shadow Warriors. It had been amusing for the rest of us. Marinah and I had dealt with the mating rage without killing anyone, and that seemed to make Beck uptight. He wouldn’t be outdone by us, so he kept telling himself he wouldn’t kill anyone over his mate. At least, that’s what he hoped. Beast grumbled again because he liked the idea of killing.

Yes, I whispered internally when Beast grumbled. We will find many to kill. Sleep had come in shallow waves during the flight, my thoughts churning with the senseless murders of innocents. My tightly coiled rage had built steadily, and I knew it would need an outlet soon. The key was finding Federation soldiers so I could let Beast free.

We reached the bench beneath the overhang, and everyone except the governor and I took a seat. He watched me warily, his eyes darting as though gauging the danger. I glanced at him as I spoke. “We need any information you have that will help us deal with the soldiers responsible for wiping out the village. I’m leading a strike team as soon as I have that intel.”

Marinah stood and wrapped her hand around my arm, deliberately leaning into me so I stayed calm. “What King means to say,” she interjected smoothly, “is that we’re deeply sorry for the loss of life, and we take these matters very seriously. Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated.”

Garret, a man with the kind of build that looked more suited to a battlefield than a political office—six feet tall, broad shoulders, muscular—shifted his gaze between me and my mate. His lips parted slightly as though he wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words. Marinah leaned into me a bit more, her body language clear: Play nice. She understood my distrust of politicians. Garret might be a decent man, but what kind of person willingly entered politics? The doubt lingered.

A slight pinch on my arm and a sharp glare from Marinah made me relent. With a sigh, I extended my hand. Garret stared at it, unmoving.

Marinah made a sharp noise in the back of her throat and pinned him with an impatient look. “This is the part where men play nice, shake hands, and spill the information needed to keep everyone safe. Even I’m tired of waiting,” she said testily.

Snapping out of his fog, Garret quickly shook my hand. His grip was firm but brief. I heeded Marinah’s silent command and refrained from crushing his hand, though the temptation lingered.

“Well, um, I apologize,” Garret said, slightly flustered. “I’ve heard a lot about you both, and I suppose I’m a little tongue-tied.” His gaze lingered on Marinah for a fraction too long, and Beast growled low in my chest.

Garret snapped his eyes away from my mate, and I felt a sense of satisfaction; the tension inside me eased slightly.

We’d kept vital information about Shadow Warriors hidden from the Federation, and the mating rage was one of those secrets. Humans would be horrified to learn that Shadow Warriors easily became savage killers over their mates, at the slightest transgression in the beginning. For Marinah and me, the rage had gone both ways at first and made it even harder to conceal when we were around humans who didn’t understand the rules. Marinah was controlling her mating rage better now, but I didn’t entirely trust it.

Garret, thankfully, chose that moment to address me, pulling me out of my internal grumbling. I focused on his words. “They’re controlling the hellhounds somehow. We think it’s a noise frequency, but we don’t have proof. The hellhounds attacked the village in unison, then left the same way minutes before the Federation soldiers arrived. The witnesses said it was the strangest thing they had ever seen. They also disclosed that the hounds didn’t attack the Federation soldiers.”

He shook his head, frustration etched into his expression. “We desperately need the help you’re offering.” After a deep breath, he added, “I’d like to go with you to hunt the Federation soldiers.”

That was unexpected. I glanced at Marinah. Her expression mirrored my own. We traveled as Warriors, and having a human along would make things complicated. I told Garret as much.

He rested his hand on the table, his fingers splayed. “I can keep up. If not, leave me behind. I’m not a governor in name only. Keeping these people safe is my top priority.” He locked eyes with me, and Beast let out a low grumble. “And I’m deadly. Maybe not Shadow Warrior deadly, but I won’t be a liability.”

I glanced at Marinah again, and she gave the slightest nod. I didn’t agree. He would be trouble, but my mate clearly thought otherwise.

“After we have all the intel, we’ll leave. It shouldn’t be more than an hour. Can you be ready?” I asked.

“I’m ready now,” he replied, relaxing slightly.

“I need to interview the survivors first.”

“I’ll have them brought here,” Garret said.

An hour and ten minutes later, we left to hunt.